Indian wars and pioneers of Texas / by John Henry Brown.

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INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

first immigrant, John R. Harris, subsequently marriedCapt. Andrew Briscoe, who, as the colleague ofthe grand Mexican patriot, Don Lorenzo de Zavala,from that municipality, signed the declaration ofindependence, and fifty days later commanded oneof the largest companies at San Jacinto. He wasalso the first Chief Justice of Harrisburg Countyand so remained for many years. The well-knownDe Witt C. Harris, who died in 1860, was a brotherof Mrs. Briscoe, as is also Lewis B. Harris, of SanFrancisco, who was my fellow-soldier on the RioGrande in 1842.According to the notes of Mrs. Briscoe the firstactual settlers arrived in April, 1822, of whomMoses L. Choate and William Petfus were the firstsettlers on the San Jacinto, and a surveyornamed Ryder, unmarried, settled on Morgan'sPoint, on the bay. In June John Ijams, with hiswife and two youthful sons arrived, of whom John,the elder, then fifteen years old, still lives in Houston,aged 82, a tribute certainly to the climate inwhich he has lived sixty-seven years. They settledat Cedar Point, afterwards a favorite home of Gen.Sam Houston. Johnson Hunter settled near Morgan'sPoint, but ultimately on the Brazos. In thesame year Nathaniel Lynch settled at the confluenceof the San Jacinto and Buffalo bayou, whereLynchburg stands; John D. Taylor on the SanJacinto at the place now called Midway; JohnJones, Humphrey Jackson and John and FrederickRankin, on the same river, where the Texas andN. O. railroad crosses it. Mr. Callahan and EzekielThomas, brothers-in-law, located as the first settlerson Buffalo bayou. Mrs. Samuel W. Allen,youngest daughter of Mr. Thomas, still resides inHouston--another tribute to the climate. In thesame year four brothers, William, Allen, Robertand John Vince, all young men, settled just belowthe mouth of Vince's bayou, rendered famous inconnection with Vince's bridge immediately beforethe battle of San Jacinto, the destruction of thebridge by order of Gen. Houston, leading to thecapture of Santa Anna. William Vince had a horsepower sugar mill on his place. During the sameyear, Mrs. Wilkins, with her two daughters and herson-in-law, Dr. Phelps, settled what is now knownas Frost-town in the city of Houston, being thefirst settlers there. In 1824 came Enoch Bronson,who settled near Morgan's Point; also Wm. Bloodgoodand Page Ballew, with families, and severalyoung men who settled in the district; also ArthurMcCormick, wife and two sons, who settled theleague on which, twelve years later, the battle ofSan Jacinto was fought. He was drowned soonafterwards in crossing Buffalo bayou, as was his

surviving son, Michael, a long time pilot on asteamboat, in 1875. It was suspected that thewidow, eccentric, well-to-do and living alone, wasmurdered by robbers and burnt in her dwelling.George, Jesse, Reuben and William White, in 1824,settled on the San Jacinto, a few miles above itsmouth; William Scott at Midway; together withCharles E. Givens, Presly Gill and Dr. Knuckles,who married Scott's daughter, while Samuel M.Williams married another. [Mr. Williams wasthe distinguished secretary of Austin's Colony andafterwards, long a banker in Galveston.]In 1824, Austin, with Secretary Williams and theCommissioner, Baron de Bastrop, visited the settlementand issued the first titles to those entitled tothem.In 1825 the Edwards family settled on the bayat what has since been known as Edwards' Point.Ritoon Morris, a son-in-law of Edwards, and a manof wealth, came at the same time. He was greatlyesteemed and was known as " Jaw-bone Morris,"from a song he and his negroes sang while he pickedthe banjo. He settled at the mouth of Clear Creek.About 1829 Mr. Clopper, for whom the bar in Galvestonbay is called, bought Johnson Hunter'sland and afterwards sold it to Col. James Morgan,who laid out a town destined never to leave itsswaddling clothes, calling it New Washington. Itschief claim to remembrance is in the visit of SantaAnna a day or two before his overthrow under thewar cry of ' Remember the Alamo." Sam McCurleyand others were early settlers on SpringCreek. David G. Burnet, afterwards President,came in 1826. In 1831 he brought out the machineryfor a steam mill which was burned in 1845.With him came Norman Hurd and Gilbert Brooks,the latter still living. President Burnet built hishome two or three miles from Lynchburg. Lynchburg,and San Jacinto, opposite to it, were destroyedby the great storm and flood, on the 17thof September, 1875.Passing over the intervening years, we find thatin 1835 the municipality of Harrisburg aboundedin a splendid population of patriotic citizens, thenoble Zavala having become one of them. In theConsultation of November 3-14, 1835, her delegateswere Lorenzo de Zavala, William P. Harris, ClementC. Dyer, John W. Moore, M. W. Smith andDavid B. McComb. In the convention which declaredindependence, March 1-18, 1836, her delegateswere Lorenzo de Zavala and Andrew Briscoe,as previously stated. When the provisional governmentof the Republic was created David G.Burnet was elected President and Lorenzo deZavala Vice-president, both of this municipal

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